On July 6, 2016, the highly anticipated ‘Pokémon Go’ app was released and quickly took America by storm. Within 24 hours, Pokémon Go had gained over 20 million active users in the United States, beating Candy Crush as the most popular mobile game in United States history.

But what exactly is Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go is a free app available for Apple and Android mobile devices. Created by Niantic, this game is based off the popular Pokémon games and shows. The goal of the game is to catch and strengthen your Pokémon while defeating gym leaders to claim victory for your team.

Where do you find all these Pokémon?

Pokémon can be caught almost anywhere your smartphone can connect to the internet. However, finding lots of Pokémon can require much time and effort… unless you know where to look. Lucky for you, the Crow Collection of Asian Art is the perfect place to catch ‘em all! Located at the Crow Collection are 5 Pokéstops (along with beautiful Asian works of art), and best of all, admission is FREE!

The Crow Collection’s location provides a safe and beautiful place to catch lots of Pokémon in an environment full of history, art, and culture.

Museum Etiquette

While visiting, please remember museum rules still apply while hunting Pokémon. The use of flash photography is prohibited. Be mindful of the artwork and others around you. Even if you stumble across Mew in our museum, please refrain from screaming, yelling or other loud or distracting noises.

Watch out!

Be aware of your surroundings; watch out for artwork, traffic, Team Rocket, stairs, etc. Before opening the app, it is helpful to go into your phone’s settings and turn on vibration under sounds. This causes your phone to vibrate any time a Pokémon appears, so you don’t have to constantly stare at your phone. Look up and enjoy the beautiful artwork at our museum.

Pokéstops

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

If you’ve been playing Pokémon Go for a while, you may have noticed some strange blue icons like the image in fig. 1. These icons are called ‘Pokéstops.’ You can find Pokéstops at locations withpermanent markers such as statues. Located at the Crow Collection of Asian Art are 5 Pokéstops: the Qing Dynasty Warrior, Shi of East and West, Fountain at the Crow Collection of Asian Art,
The Enlightened Man, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art (window front for the Asian art collection).

Pokéstops are very useful as they give you +50 XP (experience points) and valuable items like eggs, pokéballs, potions, revives and more!

You can activate a Pokéstop by traveling within range of the flashing circle surrounding the Pokéstop. Once in range, the Pokéstop icon will change from a square to a symbol resembling a pokéball (largest blue icon in fig.1). At this point, you can tap the Pokéstop, which opens a new image of the Pokéstop location (fig.2). Once the Pokéstop loads, you can spin the circular image in the middle of the screen. Bubbles will then appear containing items. You can then exit the Pokéstop, it will become purple for 5 minutes, during which time you cannot use the Pokéstop. This is a good time to travel to a new location around the museum!

Lured Pokéstops

If you’ve been playing Pokémon Go for some time, you may have stumbled upon an odd looking Pokéstop surrounded by what looks like dozens of pink pedals. Wonder what it is? It’s a Pokéstop with an active lure module. Lure modules attract all sorts of Pokémon, and anybody who is near a Lured Pokéstop benefits from it. Here, you’ll find that Pokémon findings occur much more often and sometimes rare Pokémon will appear. Even Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Squirtle have visited the Crow Collection’s lured Pokéstops. Don’t have a lure? Come to the Crow Collection of Asian Art during open hours and you’ll likely find one or more lure activated Pokéstops.

Battery Usage Tips

As many Pokémon Go trainers have learned from their Pokémon hunting journeys is that Pokémon Go drains your battery. Fast! Here are some tips to keep your battery alive while on the go:

In the app, touch the Pokéball in the bottom center of the screen, and select settings. Under settings, check Battery Saver. Battery Saver can be used by turning your phone upside down when looking for Pokémon. When you turn your phone upside down, the screen will dim with only a faint ‘Pokémon Go’ logo on the screen; however, the phone will still vibrate when nearby Pokémon appear.

Charge your phone completely before leaving on your journey.

Close background apps you’re not using

Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi if you’re not using them

Bring an extra phone charger

Turn off auto brightness and dim your screen

Enjoy your time at the Crow Collection of Asian Art

While at the museum, don’t forget to look around at the beautiful works of art on display. You never know, a Pikachu could be hiding in the samurai armor! Our museum is full of art (and Pokémon) representative of Asian culture. The permanent Samurai exhibit showcases the armor of Abe Masayoshi, a Japanese daimyo, or wealthy landholder. Japanese history has been tied into the Pokémon games, shows, and manga in many different ways.

Did you know…?

Kanto (the first region in the Pokémon games and shows) is based off a real region in Japan.

Ninetails (the direct evolution of Vulpix) is based off a creature from Japanese folklore called a Kitsune. Kitsunes are white foxes with many tails. The more tails a Kitsune has, the older and wiser it is. Kitsunes can have up to nine tails.

Ho-oh is inspired by the Chinese phoenix, Fenghuang.

Magikarp is based off a Chinese legend about a group of koi/carp who swim up the Yellow River until they reach a legendary waterfall, Hukou Falls. Many fish give up trying to jump high enough to reach the top of the falls; however, a small group of fish is persistent and continues trying to jump the legendary falls. After 100 years, one fish finally makes it, and as a reward for his perseverance, he becomes a golden dragon. This explains the strange evolution of a fish Magikarp to a mighty dragon Gyarados.